Ancient World 2000

Age Range: 12-15 yrs
Author: Decision Development Corporation
Cost: Please Call

Publisher: Decision Development Corporation
Phone: (510) 830-8896

Publisher's Description:

Ancient World 2000 is a multimedia core curriculum designed to promote group cooperation, hands-on investigation, and problem solving. Students are trained to think as historians do by piecing together fragments of history and reaching their own conclusions based on the facts they have researched. Relying on active student involvement and exploration, rather than rote memorization of dates and facts, Ancient World 2000 is a learning adventure through ancient times and a discovery of influences that shaped today's world.

Ancient World 2000 was designed with the assistance and review of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The result of this partnership is a collection of the finest historical images, maps, and charts available. Students will draw upon this image library as they investigate historical and modern problems presented in the central stories of each lesson. Using a wealth of supporting information, including simulations, exceptional videodisc imagery, civilization timelines and auxiliary reading, students experience history and place their own lives and time in its context.

The Ancient World 2000 curriculum is based on the premise that students can benefit more from learning how to obtain and process information than from memorizing it. Virtually unlimited resources are made available to help students construct a comprehensive picture of historical periods and places. And because Ancient World 2000 employs such a wide variety of visuals and information, students with different learning needs such as LEP will be able to experience the program's full scope.

Program components include:

Videodisc Imagery. The highest quality video delivery system available brings brilliant realism to historical imagery. Videodisc audio tracks are provided in both English and Spanish.
Simulations. Numerous computer simulations give students direct experience of the period they are studying. In Unit 4, for example, students reenact the excavation of Tutankhamen's tomb based on Howard Carter's recollections.
Key Questions. Each unit begins with key questions that establish a theme, frame student inquiry and suggest study topics. For instance, Unit 2 asks, "What are the alternatives to hunting and gathering?" Ancient Civilizations in Unit 3 asks, "Who were the Sumerians and why are they important to us?" With its focus on Egypt, Unit 4 asks, "What can tomb art and letters teach us about daily life in Egypt?" "Why did the Golden Age come to an end?" asks Unit 6 on Greece. And Unit 8, which focuses on classical China, asks, "What was life like during the Qin and Han periods?"
Databases. Extensive databases linked to lessons allow students to explore further as they investigate problems. Additional audiovisual and text materials linked to the databases lend vitality and tangibility to each subject.
Maps. More than 50 maps recreate the geopolitical world from prehistory to the fall of the Roman empire. Many can be manipulated by students in "what if" scenarios.
Timelines. Graphical timelines linked to the databases allow students to place events in historical context.
Student Investigations. Activity worksheets guide students through lessons and help focus task activity.
Selected material is provided in both English and Spanish.
Primary and Secondary Reading. Period literature is available in English translation along with a student bibliography.
Learning Kits. Four non-consumable kits include games, puzzles, maps, and hieroglyphic exercises to support the lessons.
Specialty Magazines. Calliope and Faces, student magazines on history and anthropology, present
fascinating stories about the ancient world.

Teacher Resources include:

Lessons. Complete lesson plans with daily student activities, suggestions for using resource materials and teaching techniques allow you to easily integrate Ancient World 2000 into your curriculum.
Background Information. Lesson synopses are linked to the database, allowing you to obtain detailed information about any subject you with to focus on.
Materials and Resources. These include lesson management lists, student investigations, required materials (e.g., atlas, art supplies) and teacher bibliography.
Teaching Tips Database. The database is interactively linked to the lessons and provides on-line teaching strategies.
Extension Activities. Suggestions on off-line activities that can enrich the learning experience even more fully.

Ancient World 2000 is available in a complete 10 unit version and in four component versions. The component versions are:

Early Civilizations: Units 1 through 4
Classical Civilizations: Units 6 and 7
India and China: Units 5, 8, and 9
The Maya: Unit 10

For further information, click here

We hope you found what you needed on this page. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

Howard J. Bender, Ph.D.
President
The Education Process Improvement Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 186
Riverdale, Maryland 20738
hjbender@epicent.com